Former Red Sox reliever Tyler Danish has signed a minor-league contract with the Yankees, according to WFAN’s Sweeney Murti. The deal comes with an invite to major-league spring training.
Danish, 28, was outrighted off Boston’s 40-man roster in late October after clearing waivers and elected to become a free agent in lieu of accepting a minor-league assignment.
The Red Sox initially signed Danish to a minors pact last February. The right-hander was added to the club’s 40-man roster before Opening Day and was called up from Triple-A Worcester shortly thereafter.
Having last pitched at the big-league level in 2018, Danish posted a 5.13 ERA and 4.97 FIP with 32 strikeouts to 12 walks over 32 relief appearances (40 1/3 innings pitched) for the Red Sox this past season. He was sidelined from July 7 until August 28 with a right forearm strain.
Per Baseball Savant, Danish worked with five different pitches in 2022. The 6-foot, 200-pound hurler featured a low-80s curveball, a low-90s sinker, a mid-80s changeup, a low-90s four-seam fastball, and a rarely-used high-80s slider. He held opposing hitters to a .175 batting average against with his curveball, which was his most frequently-used offering.
A native of Florida, Danish was originally selected by the White Sox in the second round of the 2013 amateur draft out of Durant High School in Plant City. He broke in with the North Siders in 2016 and forged a 4.85 ERA in parts of three seasons (13 innings) for Chicago before electing free agency at the conclusion of the 2018 campaign.
From there, Danish spent a brief amount of time in the Mariners organization before pivoting to independent league baseball midway through the 2019 season. He pitched for both the New Britain Bees of the Atlantic League and Sioux Falls Canaries of the American Association before inking a minor-league deal with the Angels last May.
All told, Danish owns a lifetime 5.06 ERA at the major-league level, a 3.65 ERA in indy ball, and a 5.51 ERA in 107 outings (39 starts) at the Triple-A level. He is out of minor-league options, but he should have the chance to compete for a spot in the Yankees’ Opening Day bullpen once spring training begins in February.
(Picture of Tyler Danish: Paul Rutherford/Getty Images)
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